Hmm. That’s really strange. We’ve made these lots of times over the years, and they’ve never dried that quickly. They generally take hours to dry. I’ve even forgotten to poke holes initially and remembered a little while later, and done it then. Was your air temperature exceptionally warm? Or is it possible you used less water or more of the powders than the recipe called for?

I just made these and they drying to fast I couldn’t get a hole in them without breaking them. We planned on painting them but we can’t even move them without them breaking.

You’re so welcome. It’s surprising how many ornaments you can get out of one batch, isn’t it!

Wow, was this dough ever easy to work with. I made the cut outs for your Thanksgiving grateful tree idea. I wasn’t sure it would be enough once we rolled it out and started with the cookie cutters, so we mixed up double! Haha So, now we have TWO big cookie sheets of shapes drying- one Fall-themed for Thanksgiving, and then we went ahead and got out the Christmas cookie cutters! The other tray will be painted/decorated for the Christmas tree! Thanks for a great recipe.

The two substances are quite different, so I’m not sure if it would work with flour, Alina. I’m sure there are flour dough recipes out there though.

I’ve never made handprints with this dough, Sabrina. Please let me know how they turn out!

As low as your oven will go, Lynda, and even then, it might be too warm. You might want to leave your oven door open a bit. I’ve heard others say that if you dry them too quickly, they’ll crack.

If you google “measurement conversion”, you’ll be able to convert my measurements into your own, Ellie. I’ve heard some people say theirs have cracked, but we’ve not had that happen. We just made them again at Valentines, and our were ok. I think variables such as humidity, house temperature etc. might have an effect. I would add a little more water next time to see if that prevents them from drying out. So sorry it didn’t work out for you this time!

Really disappointed as they looked so good after we’d just done them!

We haven’t tried, but I would imagine they would all work, Angela!

I made these with my grandkids today and some of them cracked and come of the jewels came off. I think next time we’ll make them a little thicker and push the jewels in further.

I don’t recall just how many we got out of one batch, Janita, but the ornaments you see in the photos were from a single batch.

You’ll need to make your ornaments right away, Kathryn. It won’t store well. Sorry.

There’s a link to the recipe in the post, Jennifer. It will take you to The Imagination Tree’s site, where you’ll find her recipe.

I would think you probably could, Ruth. Either that, or sprinkle the shapes with glitter, and gently press into the dough. Let me know if you try that!

How odd. That’s what I like best about this dough is how bright it is. I’m not sure why yours would be beige when baking soda and cornstarch are so bright. Sorry you weren’t happy with yours, Lisa!

The salt dough cracks less.

Put the dough in plastic bag and refrigerate.

There’s a link to The Imagination Tree’s site for the recipe, Kathy. Up near the beginning of the post.

I’m sorry you ornaments didn’t turn out, Liz. I haven’t dried the clay in an oven. I let ours air-dry by the fire. You might try air-drying your next batch, as ours turn out well when we do it that way.

I don’t really recall how many ornaments we got out of the batch, Nicole, but what you see in the photos might give you an idea. I wouldn’t make the dough ahead of time, as I think it might dry out quickly. If you must, you could try wrapping it tightly in plastic wrap so it’s air-tight, but I can’t guarantee that will work.

Yes i followed the instructions in the link she said she sprinkled them with glitter so they sparkled…maybe we will try glue and glitter 🙂

Did you just add the glitter to the wet dough, Ali? I would think you would need to glue the glitter on once the ornaments are dry.

It sounds like they definitely still have moisture in them. We leave ours by the fire, and they dry as hard as a rock. I would let them air dry for a couple of days, or return them to the oven and bake longer on your lowest heat setting.

Oh shoot, The Imagination Tree’s website is down right now, which is why you can’t open the link, Jenn. I’m sorry! I don’t have the recipe written down anywhere – I always refer to that link when I need it. Anna is aware that her site is down, and she’s working on it, so hopefully it will be back up soon. Sorry!

Our dough did not dry fast, but we left them at my mother’s to dry, returned 5 days later and ours too were cracked, all but 2.

We haven’t painted any, Diana, but I love acrylic craft paint for any project. It’s vibrant, durable and water/streak proof.

You bet, Laura. My blogging friend Cathy James (from Nurturestore) is the project manager of our e-books. If you email her at cathy@nurturestore.co.uk she’ll be happy to help you get your copy.

No, I’m afraid the baking soda and cornstarch would dissolve with any moisture.

You need to click through on the link to the Imagination Tree’s recipe, Emma.

I really couldn’t say how long it would keep if you made it ahead of time, Heather, sorry!

I think the beads would melt if you baked them, Rachel. We let ours air dry by the fire.

There’s a link there to the Imagination Tree’s site for the recipe, Vanessa. Just click on that, and it will take you there. 🙂

Right. You definitely want it thick enough that it won’t crack or break easily. I’d say at least 1/4 inch thick.

HANDPRINTS! Genius…..

Xmas eve craft and stocking stuffer gifts for family!

Sounds like maybe your dough was too dry, Andrea, or perhaps you rolled your ornaments too thin. I’ve heard a few people say the same, but the majority of people say they love the recipe. Ours are almost a week old now, and they haven’t cracked or broken. We rolled ours quite thick though, so maybe that’s the trick.

Sounds like something was wrong, Kellie. Ours was soft and pliable the whole time we we were making our ornaments, and even after drying by the fire, and now 2 days later, ours are not cracking.

Thanks, Anna, glad you like ’em! And thank YOU for the easy recipe!

I’m not sure how messy Salt Dough is, Tricia. This stuff isn’t very messy at all though.

Probably, Shelly. It feels quite like play dough, but it dries hard, so handprints might work. Over at the Imagination Tree (Follow the link in my post), Anna has a handprint dough ornament. You can check out that recipe too.

Have fun with them, Kylie!

I would think so, Shannon. There isn’t anything in there that would spoil. The ones we made several years ago all got sent home with the hooligans, and I’ve never asked if they’ve lasted, but I really think they would’ve. They’re very solid and clay-like.

Oh no! What a case of bad timing, Rachel! I’m sorry. 🙁 You’ll have to pin this one for next year!